Electric switch



W. A. ATWOOD.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30. 1918.-

1 ,323,8 1 O. Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

I n ventor Winfield "n. fltwood,

Mam

His Tlttorneg.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WINFIELD A. ATWOOD, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application filed December 30, 1918. Serial No. 268,853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, iVinrncLn A. A'rwooo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches and particularly to circuit breakers and has for its object to provide a circuit interrupting device which is held latched in circuit closing position and cannot be unlatched by excessive vibrations or jarring ot" the device.

Circuit breakers heretofore known in the art have been held closed by a form of latching means which, when subjected to jars and vibrations, have been readily moved to release the circuit breaker and permit it to open. Particular instances of such excessive jars or shocks may be mentioned those occurring on battleships, cruisers and like war craft when firing heavy guns and especially broadsides. Circuit breakers heretofore known in the art used under such circumstances have opened under the jars of cannonading and the opening of the breakers controlling the lighting. power and signal circuits has severely crippled service and rendered the breakers unfit for such uses. The novel and improved form of circuit breaker embodying lny invention overcomes the apparent limitations of circuit breakers heretofore known and comprises a latching means which cannot be readily unlatched by jars and which is adapted to be held in latching position by an auxiliary latching or locking means.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention will be detinitely indicated in the claims appended hereto, while the features of construction and mode of operation will be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which shows the preferred embodiment of my invention and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a c rcuit breaker embodying my invention having a. portion removed for clearness; F g. 2 1s a front view of a portion of the circuit breaker shown'in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a top view of the latching means shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and Fig. 4 is a side view of a portion of a circuit breaker embodying a simplified form of my invention.

As shown in F ig. l, the circuit breaker comprises stationary, main contacts 1 and 2 with which a movable current carrying member 3 cooperates to control the circuit through the breaker. As is usual on such devices, the breaker is also provided with cooperating, secondary and tertiary contacts 1L and 5 respectively, to prevent burning the mam contacts and take the are as the breaker opens. The circuit breaker is also provided with an operating member (3 which controls the current carrying member 3 through a suitable mechanism 7.

For restraining the circuit breaker in circuit closing position, I provide a latching means which comprises a pivotally supported member or arm 8 preferably pivoted to the member 9 supporting the current carryingmember 3. Pivotally carried by the arm 8 and preferably at one end thereof, is a latching member or dog 10 biased by means of a grayity or a spring, not shown, to latching posltion. The member 10 cooperates to restrain the operating member (3 in circuit closing position by engagement with a depending portion 11 carried by the operating member (3 and having a latching recess therein. The arm 8 and latching member 10 are so arranged that in restraining position the point of engagement of the member 10 in the latching recess of the portion 11 of the operating member. is below a line through the pivotal connections of the members 8 and 10, and the member 10 is biased in this positon affording an underset latching menus. To limit the movement of the members S and 10 in undersct position a stop 10" is provided against which the member 10 rests.

Cooperating with the latching means is a tripping or releasing means including an armature or tripping member 12 movable into tripping position either by hand or antomatically in response to predetermined abnormal conditions in the circuit of the breaker. For automatic operation, an electroresponsive device is provided operatively related to the armature 12. such a device. being shown as a magnetic yoke 15) operatively related to one terminal or stud of the breaker as is well known in the art.

The arm 8 has a tail portion 14 which extends into the path of movement of the armature or tripping member 12 so that as the member 12 is moved to tripping position, the arm 8 is moved about its pivot in such a manner as to rock the latch 10 about its pivot until its point of engagement with portion 11 of the operating member moves above the line through the pivots of arm 8 and latch 10 to an overset position whereupon the latching means releases the operating member 6 to permit the breaker to open.

As shown in Fig. 4, the latching means, as described, will withstand ordinary jars and shocks without releasing the operating member as theshock must be great enough to move the operating member 6 against the spring pressure exerted by current carrying member 3 and to move the latch 10 under the bias of its spring above the line through the pivots of arm 8 and latch 10.

To prevent the movement of latching means, as. described, under abnormal shocks or jars, I provide a locking means for the latching means which restrains the latching means and holds it inoperative until the occurrence of certain conditions. For this purpose, the latching member 10 is provided with an offset and downwardly extending portion or finger 15 preferably integral therewith. Cooperating with the portion 15 is a pivotally supported locking member or arm 16 carried by the support 9 and preferably on a common pivot with the arm 8 and adjacent thereto, as best shown in Fig. 3. The locking arm 16 has, at one end, a latching recess 17 adapted to engage the finger 15 of the latch 10 and lock the latching means in latching position and hold the same inoperative. The other end of arm 16 terminates in a tail portion 18 which also extends into the path of movement of tripping member 12 but is arranged to extend below the portion 14: of arm 8 in a position to be engaged by the member 12 just prior to its engagement with arm 8.

As shown in Fig. 1, the latching means is held positively locked and inoperative in circuit closing position by the locking means comprising the finger 15 and locking arm 16. Upon movement of the tripping member 12 to tripping position, the portion 18 of lockin member 16 is first en a ed which b Z5 b causes the member 16 to move out of engagement with the finger 15 of the latch 10 and into unlocking position. The latching means is now free of restraint so that the subsequent engagement of the armature with the tail 14 of arm 8 causes the release of the latching means as before described. By the use of this locking arrangement, the latching means is held locked against movement so that any excessive shocks or jarring of the circuit breaker can not release the latching means.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I nowconsider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a movable current carrying member of an operating member therefor, latching means cooperating with said member to re strain said breaker in circuit closing position, means unaffected by jars or vibrations of said breaker for locking said latching means in latching position, and means for first moving said locking means to unlocking position and then moving said latching means to releasing position.

2. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with a movable current carrying member, of an ope 'ating member therefor, latching means for said operating member, comprising an arm, and a latching member pivotally mounted on said arm biased to latching position, and means carried by said operating member cooperating with said latching member to hold said operating member in switch closing position.

3. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a movable current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, and latching means for said operating member com prising a pivotally supported arm, a latching member pivotally sup orted at one end of said arm biased to latciiing position and cooperating with said operating member to restrain said member in circuit closing position, and means cooperating with the-other end of said arm to cause said arm to move said latching member into releasing posi tion.

4. In a circuit breaker,the combination with a movable current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, and latching means for said operating member comprising a pivotally supported arm, a latching member pivotally carried by said arm and biased to cooperate with said operating member so that the point of engagement therewith is below a line through the pivots of said arm and said latching member whereby said operating member is held in circuit closing position, and means cooperating with said arm to cause said point of engagement to move above the line through said points whereby said latching member releases said operating member.

In a circuit breaker, the combination with amova'ble current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, a latch en gaging means carried by said operating member, and latching means comprising a pivotally supported arm, a dog pivotally' supported on said arm cooperating with said latch engaging means to retain said operating member in circuit closing position, said dog being biased to cooperate with said arm to form an underset toggle, and means cooperating with said arm for moving said toggle to an overset position Whereby the operating member is released.

6. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, and latching means for said operating member comprising a pivotally mounted arm, a latching member pivotally carried-by said arm and cooperating with said operating member to restrain said member in circuit-closing position, means cooperating with said arm to move said latching member to releasing position, and locking means for holding said latching member in latching position until operated in response to said means.

7 In a circuit breaker, the combination with a current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, and latching means for said operating member comprisin a pivotally mounted arm, a latching mem er pivotally carried by said arm in position to v cooperate with said operating member and restrain said member, in circuit closing position, said member being biased to restrain ing position, and means for preventing the movement of said latching means to releasing position by shocks or jars of said breaker.

8. In a circuit breaker, the combination. with a current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, latching means for restraining said operating member in circuit closing position, locking means for holding said latching means in latching position irrespective of vibrations of said breaker, and means cooperating with said latching and locking means to cause the release of said operating member.

9. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, latching means for restraining said operating member in circuit closing position comprising apivotally supported arm, a latching member pivotally carried by said arm and cooperating with said operating member to hold said member in circuit closing position, a finger carried by said latching member, and a second pivotally supported arm cooperating with said finger to prevent the movement of said latching member to releasing position.

10. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, a pivotally supported arm, a latching member pivotally carried by said arm and cooperating with said operating member to hold said member in circuit closing position, and means unaffected by vibrations of said breaker for locking said latching member in latching position.

11. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, a pivotally supported arm, a latching member 'pivotally carried by saidarm adapted to engage and restrain said operating member in circuit closing position, said latching member being biased to restraining position and having a depending portion, a second pivotally mounted arm engageable with said depending portion of said latching member to lock said member in latching position, and releasing means operative to first move said second arm to unlocking position and then move said first mentioned arm into position to release said latching member.

12. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, latching means for restraining said operating member in circuit closing position, and means cooperating with said latching means to render said latching means unaffected by vibrations of said breaker.

13. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a movable current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, latching means for restraining said operating member in circuit closing position, and locking means for preventing the movement of said latching means to releasing position.

14. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a movable current carrying member, of an operating member therefor, latching means for restraining said operating member in circuit closing position, locking means for preventing the movement of said latching means to releasing )osition, and releasing means operative to first move said locking means to unlocking position and then move said latching means to releasing position.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of December, 1918.

WINFIELD A. ATWOOD. 

